The Kitchen: "Recipe for Confidence" for People with Visual Impairments

What do you associate the kitchen with? For many of us, it is the heart of the home, a place of comfort and warmth. But imagine you are visually impaired — the kitchen becomes a territory of uncertainty, filled with potential dangers.

Lost opportunities

For over 30,000 Bulgarians with visual problems, access to adapted cooking training is limited. This puts people in a difficult choice: dependence on relatives, or taking a risk that can lead to injury. This is a reality that Evgeni Mitev, chairman of the Synergia Foundation, describes with insightful accuracy.

The birth of "Recipe for Confidence"

It is from this need that the idea for the "Recipe for Confidence" project was born. The initiative has the ambitious goal of transforming the kitchen from a place of fear into a space where independence, care and creativity find their reflection.

Support and scale

The project is being implemented thanks to the support of the eighth edition of "You and Lidl" in the #BeActive category. This socially responsible initiative of Lidl Bulgaria also includes #BeFair (social equality), #BeGreen (environmental protection), #BeVocal (media literacy) and #BeLocal (regional development). Since its launch in 2017, the program has supported 240 civic ideas with over 1 million euros, and by the end of 2026, its initiatives will reach nearly 3.6 million people in Bulgaria.

Not just skills

For the Synergia Foundation, the funds under the program are an investment in something much more than just acquiring skills. "Recipe for Confidence" aims to turn cooking into a natural part of the lives of visually impaired people - at home, in their personal rhythm, filled with confidence.

One meeting, one insight

The idea for the project was inspired by a real-life situation. Evgeni Mitev shares about his meeting with a visually impaired man who feels like a "burden" in his own home, while waiting for his wife to come home and prepare dinner. "The lack of a cooked dish is not the problem. The problem is that I can't give her the simplest care," says the man. The ability to prepare food for yourself and your loved ones is more than a skill - it is a fundamental expression of human dignity. When a person cannot cook, they often lose the confidence to be a full-fledged partner, host and participant in family gatherings around the table.

Audio guide in the kitchen

In response to this need, the foundation is developing the first free audio package for healthy cooking for people without vision in Bulgaria. It offers knowledge directly through the voice, without the need for help from a sighted person. The audio materials provide step-by-step instructions for recipes, with a detailed description of textures, smells and sounds, as well as practical techniques for safe work with kitchen appliances. Tips for smart shopping and reading labels via smartphone are also included, allowing people to make more informed choices.

Accessibility and scope

The audio package will be freely available online to all visually impaired people in the country, regardless of whether they participate in the training courses. Unlike most learning materials, "Recipe for Confidence" covers the entire process — from choosing a product in the store to its safe preparation at home.

Real practice

The practical part of "Recipe for Confidence" takes participants to a real kitchen environment, where they master the so-called "tactile language" of safety. Fear gradually gives way to muscle memory — how to recognize the temperature by sound, how to move safely in space, how to use smell and touch when choosing products.

Training and therapy

The Synergia Foundation builds on the training, applying its experience in music and art therapy, developing auditory sensitivity and fine motor skills — key skills when working in the kitchen. In this way, it ceases to be a "danger zone" and turns into a space for personal expression.

Do such initiatives not only make everyday life easier, but also fundamentally change the perception of opportunities for people with visual impairments?